SA: State Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz has asked Oahu Democrats to dismiss a complaint that alleges he violated the party's environmental platform by sponsoring a bill that would have encouraged development around Honolulu rail stations.

The complaint, filed by Lynn Sager, chairwoman of the party's environmental caucus, alleges that the bill was in direct opposition to the party's platform goal of sustaining the environment. Sager and the other activists who signed the complaint want the party to determine whether Dela Cruz should be reprimanded, censured or expelled.

Dela Cruz said his bill was intended to help guide residential, commercial and mixed-use development around Honolulu rail stations and promote transit ridership. The bill died on the last day of the legislative session in May after critics, including many in the environmental community, claimed it could shut the public out of the planning process.

Dela Cruz said the complaint does not reflect "the ‘D' that I cherish."

"I didn't realize that the party had a muzzle on its elected officials," said Dela Cruz (D, Kaena-Wahiawa-Pupukea), who asked Oahu Democrats in a letter on Thursday to immediately dismiss the complaint. "I didn't realize that every time an elected official had an opinion we had to run it past the party."

…Sager described Dela Cruz as one of several Democrats who activists believe are "Democrats in name only." She acknowledged that his bill was not necessarily the most egregious last session from an environmental perspective, but noted that the senator was the only sponsor.

"There are a number of ‘Democrats in name only' that do not follow the party platform and that really do not attend party meetings. They claim to be Demo­crats, and yet I don't know them," she said.

"He claims to be a Demo­crat and yet he goes against the Democratic Party platform. That's the bottom line."

Tony Gill, chairman of Oahu Democrats, said the rules committee has been assigned to review Sager's complaint and recommend a response. Any decision Oahu Democrats make could be appealed to the party's state central committee.

HR: He also said he disagreed with a recent majority decision issued by the Hawaii Supreme Court in a case involving limits on Native Hawaiian gathering rights.

Pollack’s statements came in response to questions from committee members at the close of the hearing. Testimony delivered in his behalf was uniformly favorable, with one witness, former Hawaii Attorney General Robert Marks, describing the hearing as a “hug-fest.”…

The judge, who is now a member of the state Circuit Court bench, also took exception to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2000 that allowed non-Hawaiians to vote in elections for the trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Pollack said he agreed with a dissent written by Associate Justice John Paul Stevens in that case, which is known as Rice vs. Cayetano.

The judge also said he didn't agree with a recent Hawaii Supreme Court decision in which justices voted 3-2 to limit on Native Hawaiian traditional practices on property covered by state rules and regulations.

Pollack said he feels that rights and protections afforded under the state Constitution which extend into such areas as the environment and traditional Native Hawaiian practices aren't asserted often enough and could be the basis for important legal rulings in the future.

He said that compared with the Hawaii state Constitution, the U.S. Constitution can appear to be an "antiquated" document.

HNN: Billionaire businessmen David Murdock and Larry Ellison's deal for the island of Lanai is set to close next Wednesday, just one week after the sale was revealed.

Life of the Land executive director Henry Curtis questions the need for speed. "If I summed it up in one word it would be 'weird.' It's moving very quickly," he said.

For the sale to be finalized, Murdock wants the Public Utilities Commission to expedite granting interim approval of the sale and transfer of Castle & Cooke's water, sewer and transportation utilities on Lanai to Ellison.

Castle & Cooke asked the state's Consumer Advocate not to object to the request.

But assurances were needed that Ellison is committed to running the utilities. Hawaii News Now has learned an agreement has been reached.

"Mr. Ellison, the buyer of these three regulated utilities, has agreed to put in $10 million in infrastructure improvements over the next five years for the regulated utilities," consumer advocate Jeffrey Ono said.

WSJ: What isn't clear is how exactly Mr. Ellison might be able to make the island assets start paying off. He didn't respond to requests for comment, nor did an Oracle spokeswoman.

Local residents cite challenges that include limited air service to the island and a lack of nightlife to entertain tourists, though golf and outdoor activities there are highly regarded.

Among the potential options are building more homes to sell, adding rooms to the two Four Seasons resorts on the island or building a third resort, said Joseph Toy, president of Hospitality Advisors LLC, a Honolulu-based consulting firm specializing in the hotel and tourism markets.

"It remains to be seen whether Mr. Ellison will be pursuing that line," Mr. Toy said. "He does have a lot of options."

SA: Hawaii Family Forum, Hawaii Family Advocates and the Hawaii Catholic Conference are sponsoring the Rally for Religious Liberty at the state Capitol June 30 to protest federal health care mandates on church-affiliated institutions.

The event, which lasts from 1 to 4 p.m. and features live music, hula, speakers and food, is being held in conjunction with a two-week nationwide campaign waged by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called Fortnight for Freedom, according to the Respect Life Office of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu on its website, www.catholic­hawaii.org.

In support of the campaign, Bishop Larry Silva will celebrate Mass and lead evening prayer today at 5:30 p.m. at Star of the Sea Parish, 4470 Aliikoa St.

The reservation deadline is July 16. The dinner will include silent and live auctions and live entertainment, a diocese announcement says. Bishop Larry Silva and George Paris, president of the Ironworkers Union Local 625, are co-chairmen.

SAS: In Washington state last week, the oiler Henry J. Kaiser loaded up 900,000 gallons of a 50/50 blend of traditional petroleum-based fuel and biofuel made from waste cooking oil and algae oil for a demonstration of the "Great Green Fleet" during RIMPAC.

The Pearl Harbor destroyers Chung-Hoon and Chafee will be among ships testing the biofuel.

Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore and the United States are among the nations in this year's RIMPAC.

Military personnel from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Republic of Philippines, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom also will be taking part.

Russia, India, Mexico, the Philippines, New Zealand, Norway and Tonga are participating for the first time, said Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet.

"We had 14 countries participate in 2010. We've got 22 this year, so I think that's an indication of the interest that countries have in participating in RIMPAC and the value they see in this kind of unique training opportunity," Brown said.

MN: The award of the hospital's exclusive radiology services contract to RadCare has come over the objections of the hospital's Medical Executive Committee, which recommended keeping Maui Radiology as the hospital's exclusive provider of radiology services.

Maui Memorial Chief of Staff Dr. Colleen Inouye reported in a May 7 letter to members of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. Maui Regional Board that members of the Medical Executive Committee were unanimous in opposing the award of the contract to RadCare.

"Although we still have concerns about the (request for proposal) process, we are equally, highly concerned about the uncertainty in quality of services, uncertainty in sustainability of services and the potential decrease of highly specialized interventional services that are currently established" at Maui Memorial, Inouye said.

In a May 26 letter to the regional board, Inouye listed the half-dozen doctors working with Maui Radiology, detailing their qualifications, accomplishments and experience.

The union vote, which came two months after the first contract rally in this cycle at the property, signifies overwhelming solidarity within the hotel's rank and file, Watanabe said.

"We do what we have to do," he said. "We'll be ready if we need to strike."

No new bargaining dates have been set between the hotel and workers since they met last month, Wata­nabe said. On Thursday, workers began making preparations for a potential strike by signing up for picket duty shifts, he said.

SA: A proposal for a $35 million Sand Island Ocean Recreational Park, which would include a 350-to-400-slip marina, was proffered last September as a private-public partnership that would address the ongoing demand for marina space.

The site of the proposed marina overlaps an area currently used as a BMX bike track and is directly adjacent to a stretch of beach used as a practice area for five canoe clubs. Farther down the beach is an area typically used for water-skiing and other ocean recreation.

News Release: "I am especially grateful that my colleagues honored our trust responsibility and the special government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribal governments by adopting two amendments I authored. The first, which establishes a permanent Office of Tribal Relations within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will enhance outreach, communication, and tribal consultation.

"The second removes barriers to loans and enhances self-determination, which will allow our Native families to be more productive with their own lands. These provisions will help to spur job creation, upgrade infrastructure, encourage small business growth, and enhance economic development on Indian lands and surrounding communities.